Case Information
OFFICE OF THE AmORNEY GENERAL OF TEIXAG
AUSTIN
!ifonorabls John D. Resd, Caamieslonoa~
Bureau of Labor Stctlstioa
Auatfn, Tern6
Dear Sir: 0plnlon 90. o-SB70
Ra: (1) Is.lt moemary for aa em- ployer to recognlza a wag* aa- slgcasnt Of'OilS of his enlployesr without firat balng advlso& by perllon h0laiq !he wage (LE- slgttmtnt?
This is $a ndvlsa that wa knva given oar&l oon- elderatilon to the questions ststatl’above, pursuant to your opinion request of rsoent data.
man Texas mrlsprudenoe wo quote the rollowing pertinent statement tha lawt
“1 Wawe. - Uagos are pro~orty, subject t3 sold or assignment 08 other property. But an asalgnmmt of wage8 to aoerue in the future is not qalld, ualess the expeoted wages are ta be earned un&ar m axlstln~~ em?Joymel;t or the future araploymant 1s known and iQsn~i;~; “,t the tc?la tlAe assi@lz~snt Is Faiide. .
ease there nay ba E ro::aonabl?r ewotatlcn on ?h0 ,xrt of ths psrtic!a f.bt tiln wap3o will be earned, and such posoiPillty Is ooupled with a.3 iutarsat, and ths right to reoeive thdm, though liable to bs defeated, is vested.
This bei= th,a oase, ages may be aasip,md _ unless the oontraot of employment stipulates
to the eontrarj. Orbinaxliy It doaa not a?- *2 Honorable John D. Reed, Commiesioner, Page 2
peer necessary to obtain the assent of,the employer to the aselgnment -untlar an oxiat- 1% contr3ct, but, if the employer consents, ",PLi:: &me amuraace to the assigMerit.' (6 hx. Jur. 14, I ll)
Cams cited, 31~6 whloh are in accord wlth the &WCneely v. Armstrong, (Clv. App.) tttutets.e5t Or the tte: 2l.2 S. m. 179; Ibid, (Sup. Ct. anmerlng aertifisd quoe- tfon) 109 Tex. 363 21C S. y. 1921 Brand v. hat., 109 Tax. Cr. R. 96, 3 4. H. @Xl) 4%. See also 2 Ruling Case Law, 1 12, pp. 603 and 604; 6 Corpus Jurle 915.
Therotora, we answer the first quostfon In the afrirzetive, under existing authorities, with the impor- tant y,ual.irioation that if the contract of employment 8fiDU- latos to the contra= the employer would t bs re3ulroU 6 honor any assignment &less notlcs be ilrsrgiven aad a&
ntsd sqrese or imDUeQ. Reef 9. Ml16 Novelty 40, f&. &p.) 67 8. w. (241 242, l fha (COEBQ, *pp.) d Tex. 380, 89 3. ?f. (2d) 210.
With refersnoa to the seaond question propounded by you, we have examined the statutes an4 find the mquin- mnt that the wi?e join in a wage as8lgtment made by a married man only in Article 6166as, 7ernonva Annotatsd Civil Statutes, regulating "loan brokeran. SeatiOn 6 of @alA reads in gert as r03..mm articb
“. . . Thet eadh assig5nent oiwagee . . . shall be void unlses the same be x!nMe and given with the orneent or tho wife, and such ootisent shall be evidenoed by the wife joining in the assignctent. . . .*
Tha only oaae passing upon the ap&ioabllity of the above statute Is by a blvided Court Of civil AppMlS in the case of &~soti Y. bwn, 226 S. W. 829. The tijorit opinion In that case holds that a ohatte3 mortgag&*e I&e nesd not jo:n in the eseoutlon 01 the ohattel mortgage u1z- less same is me&e to a "loan brokeP. It la raid that the faot that the husband alone signed the mortgage would not make it void, CB 9mmmuaity property, as here, may be dis- posed of by the husband only."
Honorable $ohn D. &ad, Page 3
l'he dissenting opinion in tbc ease strongly uqes,thc stetute to be broad cnou& to aover transactlone with any oreditor hnd lioJgea, J. poaae the following qaeu- tionr
*. . . TLy should a married man in ordar to acoure a loam be persitted to as&n hie waecs or mortpge h%s household end kitchen tc a bank, or any other oreditor Surniture without the cones& or' hie wife, an4 not be em&tteiY to enjoy the 8112110 liberty when eeek- % et+l.osn tromaloanbrokcr? The hard8hip8 -,
rClttit$~ frOE SUOh tI'lUl8flOtiOA~ grOW 0th Of the creation and axlotonco of t&e lien, and not from the ohwaotcr of the lisaholder. . . .
Gvcrtheleca the nnijority opinion rs&rlotS the eoope or 3eotion 6 Of &Mole 6163e, qpra, t8Sg&@y only to loan brokers, ana It is evlaanb that the en&tin&~ 18 0rr60tiv0 only nhfm an a6siipmnti in ma0 to a ioa~ broker. We firsd no moor4 wrtt Of SrrOr iA &lerrOA Va (&en oasb, stqwe, nor any other decision by our Teams crourtr [011] th@ QUWtiOYi. adated that the You arc thereiors rerp0atrully
wlfa is-not required to jOfA IA a wag0 awigAmoAt Of the hwband, trade to any other peawon than a,loan broksr.as a0rined by'3eotion e of &tlols 6133nt
*A loan broker ir a person firm, or oorporation who pursues the bu$ucaa of leud- iq money purchasing salaries tttta taking for srourity for the payment 0r such 1os.o end intereet thereon en ae8igument oi wee or utaYgnmnt of wages with Pow9r or httorrrcp to oolltwt the nsme or other order r0r unpaid ohattel mortgage or bill of sale upon. house- hold or Icitohcn rUniturf+"
The QbOV0 Wad take Out Of the OpWt3tiOA Of ths 8ttitUt0 OAO WhO W?OCptCd Q Wwe t%sttigoPient ior goodtt, =%'0 aold an6 dcliveredr and mer0hanandise